Has anyone used SpaceOAR gel?

I looked it up when Matron first mentioned it early last year and it seems very good. I would definitely have one fitted/installed.

Best of luck with your RT.

Cheers, John.

Leeds is only about an hour away from me, so that would be perfect if it can be arranged. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Chris

Chris

Well, it’s not his bowel or bladder likely to be perforated if things don’t go to plan.

I hope your treatment goes to plan, and enjoy your holiday.

Best of luck.

Cheers, John.

I’m due to start radiotherapy tomorrow.

I had MRI and CT scans after the insertion of the spacer. This, my 3rd, MRI is apparently to check that the spacer is in the correct place - it doesn’t show up on the CT apparently. The CT is for planning of the therapy. I think I have those the right way around. No pain or discomfort to mention immediately after the procedure, but some discomfort at various points during the last week which seems to relate to fullness of bowl and or bladder. Seems to be easing in the last 24hours anyway. Will ask the oncologist about it this evening. It never got beyond what 2 paracetamol could cope with.

I have private health insurance from work, but I was told by the onco that they will not pay for the SpaceOAR; however the radiotherapy provider do pay for it as part of the deal apparently. Either way, it’s in! The radiologist told me they have been doing it for all of their prostate patients for the last 5 or so months.

Revelation: cranberry juice!

I still had some small discomfort remaining when I went to pee. Radiologist suggested “try drinking cranberry juice”. Either I am the most suggestible guy ever, or lucky timing, or, Cranberry Juice is magic! Drank a 250ml glass of said magic fluid with my dinner last night. Yes, it is a bit diuretic! But this morning, no discomfort! Hoorah. Seems unbelievable. Only time will tell.

Off for my 12th “fraction” today.

Great to hear that you’re making good progress Chris. I’m a little way behind you at 13/37 of my RT complete. The stinging sensation has been there since two days after the SpaceOAR was inserted. But it could now be down to the radiotherapy. The 2nd suggestion was Ibuprofen, but so far I’ve stayed off that.

Like you, so far no diaorhoea but occasional mucus with the ’gas’, which keeps one guessing! As it happens, my caffeine intake is substantially reduced at the moment as part of my bid to manage the fluid balance. I don’t need anything extra stimulating the kidneys when I am trying to hang on to just the right amount at the right time. 

Don’t want to speak too soon/brag/make you jealous, but so far I’m only having to get up once a night. I can only sympathise.

I had a session of Relaxation therapy last week courtesy of www.pennybrohn.org.uk. I went in somewhat sceptical, but now I can’t wait to try it again! Highly recommended.

By about four weeks after SpaceOAR insertion the discomfort that I had was gone. All I have now is the stinging sensation when I pee, a standard radiotherapy side effect apparently, which I will say is helped in my case by a small daily intake of cranberry juice. I got some pure juice and I dilute it with water; it’s quite sharp to say the least but at least it doesn’t have a load of added artificial sweeteners like the “juice drinks” that are more commonly available do. I now know you can get concentrated capsules of cranberry from health food stores, but I haven’t ventured down that road yet. The “mucus” thing seems to have mostly stopped now too.

I’ve now had one reflexology and one acupuncture session courtesy of http://www.pennybrohn.org.uk/ and they both seems to help. Really looking forward to the next session in each case. Also had a fitness assessment yesterday prior to commencing a twelve week long “Exercise Medicine” program.

Now 23/37 on the radiotherapy so we are counting down now!

Edited by member 07 Apr 2019 at 12:00  | Reason: Not specified

Not having heard of SpaceOAR until coming across this thread, I went off to read the blurb on it, and I'm very interested in having it done. Can anyone tell me what it cost them?

I also asked my MacMillan nurse about it today, and she knew of it and that people had had it done privately. She said it has been known to slip out of place occasionally. 

My insurer would have been happy to pay for it too, had I been able to find somewhere to have it done. Unfortunately I wasn't able to do so in the time available to me. I seem to recall that I was told that the cost (to my insurers) would have been around £3000, taking into account the cost of the operating theatre, anaesthetist, and so on.

Interestingly, my oncologist at the Clatterbridge Cancer Center told me that they were planning to trial its use there later this year, which would suggest that it might then be available to NHS patients.

Cheers,

Chris

Edited by member 07 Apr 2019 at 12:07  | Reason: Not specified

I now have just 4 radiotherapy sessions left (out of 37). As I mentioned previously, I had some discomfort at first after the SpaceOAR insertion, but that subsided after about four weeks and has not returned. Comparing notes with one fellow patient, same procedure by the same surgeon, same he experienced zero discomfort from the SpaceOAR. Radiographers and other staff at the centre where I am being treated have expressed surprise at my mention of the said discomfort, so I get the impression it isn’t usual. And don't get me wrong, it was only ever mild discomfort and certainly wouldn’t change my decision if I had to make it again.

If my mild level of side effects is anything to go by then it is doing a great job. But I don’t have another “me” to act as a control subject for comparison so it's impossible to know how things would have been without it.

I’ve now had 3 exercise sessions under the supervision of the physiotherapists and as someone who would never, ever, have set foot in a gym I’m really enjoying it. It’s all about building muscle. The only other people there are in the same or a similar boat so it’s all very positive and we can laugh with each other as we go through, or see each other go through, the same moments of discovering muscles we never knew we had.

Re: exercise; ideally one would exercise immediately before radiotherapy apparently so as to increase blood flow. However, this is not very practical for us chaps with PCa due to the need to arrive on the table with a full bladder at ‘lighting up time’!

In my reading of research papers, 16mm spacing is mentioned quite a bit. One of the failure modes is where it ends up non-symmetrical giving a much smaller spacing on one side, but even spacings below half this still give most of the benefit.

Regarding exercise, there seems to be quite a bit of evidence suggesting this slows most cancer growths (not just PCa), and in some cases, more effectively than any drugs can. My consultant is a big believer in this, and is part of a group to get their patients cycling. That was the Prostate Peddlers event today which I posted about, and I've just come back from. It was great to be cycling in Hertfordshire today with a load of PCa patients, and several consultants, a trainer, and their families. I am a cyclist anyway, but there were bikes available to borrow, including electric bikes, and some simple cycle routes, for those who don't have a bike.

Consultant said it's not suitable for my case, where, because it's probably locally advanced, they will be deliberately radiating the whole pelvis including the lymph nodes around the bowel/rectum in case they contain undetectable micro mets, and they also don't want a spacer possibly moving micro mets away from the prostate.

Had blood taken for PSA (+liver function and testosterone) on 24th April. Saw the onco for the results yesterday (03/5). My previous PSA before RT started was 5.58. It is now 0.66 ! Apparently he was expecting maybe a 2 or a 3, so this is really excellent news 😎

LFT and testosterone still “normal” so just 19 more doses of Bicalutamide then I can stop that as well!

Thanks Jonathan! I must say I felt more positive once treatment hard started and at the start of each new stage. You can’t reach the end of your treatment until you start it. I didn’t realise, until it happened, that getting to halfway in e.g. radiotherapy and starting to count down, not up, would make a difference too. 

On which note, I have now completed HT. Took my last Bicalutamide tablet on 23/5/19.

Now that you have started treatment Jonathan the end of treatment is getting closer every single day. You will find a lot of support here on the forum at every stage.

Very best wishes,

Chris

the lady who removed my catheter stated.  don't consider taking cranberry juice. .

it's acidic  and will irritate the bladder.

so I took her advice.  I've not touched it since.

I've cut down on caffeine also.

I was dry after 1 day and bladder control has been better than I could ever had expected.

all the best 

Hey everyone, like all of you I got 'the news' awhile back and fortunately, it's pretty contained so the prognosis is very good. I'll be starting RT in another week and it's interesting to read some of the side effects I'll be experiencing. I saw this topic and had to respond. 

When I was diagnosed, they said I'd have the OAR procedure done. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. They schedule you for the procedures. It's standard practice for this group over here and as painful as the procedure was, albeit quick, I'm glad they do it. Anything that will help mitigate the effects of the RT are fine by me. 

The biopsy was more painful and I had more issues than with the OAR. I didn't have infections with either procedure but the OAR seems to have lingered a bit. I had it done two weeks ago and rode my bike yesterday. While not 'painful' the prostate/injection site did remind me that this might not be the time for long bike rides so, sadly, I guess my season is over. 

I'll be checking in as the RT progresses but good luck y'all and keep the brown side down....